Absorbent bandage.



No. 810,122. PATENTED JAN. 16, 1906. W. R. GREEN ABSORBENT BANDAGE. APPLICATION IILED. JUNE 10, 1904.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

WILLARD R. GREEN, OF MUSOATINE, IOWA, ASSIGN OR TO THE AMERICAN ABSORBENT FIBER COMPANY, OF PORTLAND, MAINE, A CORPORATION OF MAINE.

ABSORBENT BANDAGE.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Jan. 16, 1906.

" To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, WILLARD R. GREEN, a citizen of the United States, residing in Muscatine, in the county of Muscatine and State of Iowa, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Absorbent Bandages, of which the following is a specification.

My present invention relates to that class of articles commonly known as absorbent bandages, and has for its object to provide an article of this class of improved construction whereby advantages of efliciency and mode of operation may be obtained in an article of low cost to manufacture.

In the drawings accompanying and forming a part of this specification, Figure 1 is a perspective view of an absorbent bandage made in accordance with my present improvements. Fig. 2 is a cross-sectional view in line 2 2, Fig. 1, showing the chambered side-bracing member of a preferred construction. Fig. 3 is a partial longitudinal view taken in line 3 3, Fig. 2. Fig. 4 is a perspective view illustrative of a preferred manner of constructing the chambered side-bracing member shown in section in Figs. 2 and 3. Fig. 5 is a cross-sectional view similar to Fig. 2, illustrating one modification in a construction of the article. Fig. 6 is another view similar to Figs. 2 and 5, illustrative of an additional feature. Fig. 7 is a view similar to Fig. 3, taken in line 7 7, Fig. 6. Fig. 8 is a perspective view of a cellular member employed in the form shown in Fig. 6.

Similar characters of reference indicate like figures in all the drawings.

The leading feature of my present improvement relates to the combination, in an absorbent bandage of this class, of a mass of absorptive materialsuch, for instance, as vegetable or analogous fiber or fiber-like substance having numerous 'intercommunioating interstices throughout it-with a side-bracing member constructed for providing a chamberspace. The side-bracing member may be of cage -like construction. This chambered side-bracing'member 5 may properly be constructed of fine wire of suitable flexibility, and one manner of accomplishing this is by braiding or weaving the wire into a sort of fabric from which a properly-shaped sheet may be cut and folded up, as illustrated in a general way in Fig. 4. In this Way the combined side brace and member for producing the interior chamber 6 for the bandage may be constructed-at low cost and may be so formed as to have a sufficient degree of flexibility, while retaining sufficient stability against side pressure to prevent collapse of the bandage. The blank if made from wire or similar fabric may be cut from the same in such manner that the longitudinal line of the same will be diagonal to the weave of such fabric. The absorptive fiber 7 being brought up over the edges of the chamber-forming member produces the chamber 6 and provides a suitable amount of cushioning at the edges 8 and 9 of the bandage, and by this means any pressure applied to any portion of the bandage is somewhat distributed along the entire article, so as to facilitate the proper maintenance of its form and dimensions.

In the form and arrangement particularly illustrated in Fig. 2 the absorptive mass 7, extending underneath and upward at the sides of the hollow side-bracing member 5, is folded inwardly toward the center of the bandage, forming a loose joint or space at 10, the folded edges of the material being covered on top with a fabric 11, preferably having a relatively open mesh, so as to be readily permeable by fluids or semifluid substances.

Inthe drawings the absorbent mass 7 is shown carried in some suitable cover-sheet, which is indicated in a general way by 12. This cover or holder may consist of a suitable material, such as fabric, preferably waterproofed of light weight, which may, if desired be specially woven for the purpose. The ends of the sheet are shown folded to form attaching portions 13 and 14 for the bandage. In practice this fold may be made as indicated, for instance, in Fig. 1, the edges 15 and 16 being folded one over the other and held in place by stitching or by a metallic or other suitable connecting means, as indicated, for instance, at 17.

The lower portion (designated by 25) of the absorbent mass may be made up of a rel atively coarse quality of the fiber stock and. may be less dense than the side portions.

In Figs. 6, 7, and 8 I have illustrated a feature which is omitted. in Figs.2, 3, and 5. This feature consists in the combination of the chambered side-bracing member 5 with a chambered or cellular member combined therewith for constituting the receiving sur face or member. dicated in a general way by 20, and may be of various specific constructions-such, for instance, as illustrated in a general way in the perspective view Fig. 8. The cells 21 and 22 are shown formed by the folding upon itself a sufficient number of times of a narrow strip of suitable materialas, for instance, the proper quality of paper, the article so formed being placed upon the member 5, as indicated in Figs. 6 and 7, this cellular memher being covered by a suitable fabric, as 11, constituting the receiving-surface. The sinuously-folded ribbon produces the cells in the form herein illustrated. The chamber-space in the side-bracing member 5 is available not only for holding in loose form and protected from compression a quantity of absorptive material, but also may be employed forcontaming antiseptic or medicated materials.

In Fig. 5 the chambered member is illus trated as bein composed of two members 23 and 24, each of which may consist of a framelike device of the general characterindicated in Fig. 4 or may consist of some other suitable flexible construction-as, for instance, a helical spring of light and elastic wire, which feature, however, is not claimed herein, but is claimed in my copending application, Serial No. 211,932,filed June 10, 1904. In this figure the surface-sheet 11 (shown in Figs. 2 and 6) is omitted, and the absorbent material 7 is represented as being formed in a sheet which is wrapped around sa d members 23 and 24 and the edges brought together in the middle of the bandage below said chamberspace, the whole being shown contained in and supported by the usual eover-sheet 12.

The chamber-forming cage located within the body of absorbent material by its sidebracing action maintains an open space or chamber and, as herein illustrated, permits the bandage to have an amount of flexibility, and although affording sufficient side bracing to prevent the closing of the receivingopening of the bandage yet will permit light lateral compression, the amount of which will be dependent on and of course controlled by the character of the material of such cage or member.

One of the objects and advantages sought to be obtained by means of the present improvement is to provide for the manufacture of the bandages at a low cost and for the use in such manufacture of materials of a low cost and employed in a minimum quantity. For this purpose and also to provide for a high degree of receptivity and distributive capacity, but especially to reduce the amount of absorptive material which would otherwise be required in a bandage of a given and proper bulk or size, I employ'such a construction of the component members of the bandage as will secure a considerable proportionate'amount of openspace in the nature of This cellular member is in-- chamber-space or cell-space, these spaces serving in part as receptacles for the quick reception of a considerable amount of fluid or semifluid material and also serving as distributive means for transmitting the same more gradually to the absorptive portions of the bandage. Also such space or spaces will in general serve to finally receive and retain considerable quantities of material which would otherwise have to be taken up by the absorptive or fibrous portions of the bandage.

I do not claim herein broadly a side-bracing member, as this constitutes in part the subject-matter of my copending application, Serial No. 211,926, filed June 10, 1904.

Having thus described my invention, I claim 1. An absorbent bandage, comprising a body of absorbent material having a chamher-space within it, and means for maintaining said chamber-space to permit the passage of fluid therethrough and for preventing the closing of said absorptive material into such chamber-space.

2. An absorbent bandage comprising a body of absorbent material substantially tubular in cross-section, means within the tube to maintain the inner walls of such tube from compression, a sheath about said body open at one side, and an open-mesh covering upon said body at the said open side.

3. In a bandage, the combination with a body of loosely-arranged absorbent material, having a chamber within such body, means to prevent the body from being ressed into such chamber, an impervious s eath about the major portion of such body leaving an I open side, and a pervious sheath upon the said open side.

4. A bandage comprising a body of absorbent material arranged to form a chamber, an open cage within'said chamber, an impervious sheathing covering the sides and body thereof, a pervious sheathing covering the top, and meanshaving cellular passage-ways from such pervious material to the chamber within the cage.

5. In an article of the class described, the combination with a body having a chamber within it and extending longitudinally of such body, an open-mesh receiving-face upon such body and a plurality of passage-ways running from such face to thechamber and transversely disposed relatively thereto.

6. In an absorbent bandage, the combination of a resistant metallic cage, an absorbent about the cage, and a cover-sheet supporting the absorbent.

7. In an absorbent bandage, a mass of absorbent material, a chamber-forming cage located interiorly of such mass and having diagonally-disposed ribs affording slight yieldability crosswise of the bandage.

8. A bandage having a body of absorbent material, a chamber-forming cage within the IIS same comprising a member embodying a number of diagonally-disposed crossed ribs, a sinuously-folded ribbon imposed thereon, and means for supporting and holding said elements together.

9. An absorbent bandage comprising a body of'absorbent material substantially tubular in cross-section, means Within the tube for maintaining the inner Walls of the same from compression, and a sheath about said body open at one side.

10. An absorbent bandage comprising a cover having an opening, an absorbent material therein, and a side-bracing member located adjacent to said opening and having a series of perpendicularly-located cells or chambers.

Signed at Nos. 9 to 15 Murray street, New York, N. Y., this 7th day of June, 1904.

WILLARD R. GREEN.

Witnesses:

FRED. J. DOLE, JOHN O. SEIFERT. 

